The present invention relates to an automation system for a machine-tool, a production machine or a robot, with at least two components connected via a data link, wherein a data message which includes data for a component can be sent between the components. The invention also relates to a method and to an engineering system for programming a data communication of the automation system.
Automation systems for machine-tools, production machines and/or robots are known in the art. The automation system can include several components, and a data connection or data link can be established between the components. The data are exchanged between the components via data messages. The exchanged data messages or the data messages to be sent include data for the components. The data messages also include the data locations. Certain data information is associated with each data location. The data messages between an automation system are standardized. An example for such message system is the PROFIBUS (Process Field Bus), in which, for example, profiles for axle drives are defined in master-slave-combinations in a profile referred to as PROFIdrive. A publication “Proposal PROFIBUS Profiles”, PROFIdrive-Profile, Drive Technology, Version 3, September 2000, can be ordered under the order number 3.172.
In a conventional automation system with a data link, a data communication between components disadvantageously takes place using predefined standardized data messages, which results in an inflexible message configuration.
If a conventional data message is to be adapted to a specific communication environment, then the master data of the device have to be changed. The device master data in an automation system are typically inaccessible to a user.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an automation system with an improved data link between components of the automation system, which obviates prior art shortcomings and is able to specifically provide improved programming of a data communication in the automation system.